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Diageo managed to convince David Beckham to endorse this product. Congratulations for this feat, even though this probably was not cheap. Celebrity endorsement usually has a positive effect on sales, but if it will eventually be successful depends on the product more than on the face connected to it.

The whisky comes in a blue bottle reminiscent of an after-shave. This already has sparked quite a bit of sarcasm which I will refrain from indulging in. I will focus on the liquid here.

Despite its marketing as a luxury spirit, Haig Club is simply a young – some would say immature – grain whisky from the Cameronbridge distillery. It is produced in the same stills that also make the cheap Gordon’s gin and the cheap Smirnoff vodka. It is an industrial product made in a place that can only be described as a big alcohol factory. The mention of the four centuries of distilling history of the Haig family ist just a handful of marketing fairy dust sprinkled into the readers’ eyes.

There is nothing remotely luxurious about that whisky itself. It is like Johnnie Walker Red or Black Label without the malt whisky; and both are significantly cheaper than the £45 asked for the Haig Club. Grain whisky of this age is the empty canvas that whisky blenders use to paint their creations on. It becomes a luxury product only by being named so, priced and marketed accordingly. Haig Club is about as luxurious as a £5 shirt with the Primark label replaced by one of Dior and sold for ten times the price.

While the presence of Victoria Beckham at the recent launch event may have improved the overall sensory experience of some of the male participants, drinking Haig Club neat in a less exclusive setting is a rather forgettable experience.

Of course Haig Club is primarily made as a cocktail ingredient for mixing, though. But I admit I have my problems to see a place for it. And I am not one of those often sneered-upon whisky snobs who condemn any alteration of their favourite tipple. I do love my cocktails, with our without whisky.

It is too flavourful to be used in classic vodka drinks like the Cosmopolitan, and it is too bland to be used in classic whisky drinks like the Manhattan. I am sure that some creative bartenders can mix tasty drinks with it, no doubt about that. But I do have my doubts that Haig Club will be able to gain the status of a staple cockatail base spirit in this highly competetitive market. It straddles between whisky and vodka but does not have a unique character of its own that would bring it on eye level with classic spirits like rum, brandy, tequila or gin.

Time will tell. But the high price tag will make it difficult for the Haig Club to compete with spirits that cost much less but can be the base for cracking mixed drinks. Until then, Diageo should hope that as few people as possible will become aware of how cheap a drink this actually is.

Colour: Dark amberNose: Peach-scented nail polish remover, banana, vanilla, butterscotch, candied ginger, hints of nutmeg.Palate: Peach, cantaloupe melon, lemon, vanilla, custard, nutmeg and some wood tannins.Finish: Rather long, dry and fruity.Overall: A rather typical old grain whisky from a hard to find distillery, but the wood is already quite pronounced so it feels a bit rougher on the palate than other oldies I have tasted.

Colour: Medium amberNose: Grapefruit topped with caramelized sugar, apricots, orange zest, vanilla, wood polish, hints of roses and liquorice.Palate: Mixed citrus fruit, peaches and apricots, vanilla, butterscotch, ginger, rose water, strong green tea, of nutmeg and pepper.Finish: Very long, fruity, slightly floral and slightly dry.Overall: A very hard to find distillery, and what a fruit bomb this is. The wood has taken over a little too much for a 90+ score.

Colour: Medium amberNose: Leather and polished oak, dusty butterscotch, hints of stewed apple and peach, nutmeg.Palate: Rather herbal and slightly bitter at the beginning, peach and apple emerge a bit later, as are honey and butterscotch, cinnamon, nutmeg and allpsice join.Finish: Long, dry and spicy.Overall: If you get past the initial herbal punch, a lovely mix of fruit, sweetness and spice pleases your palate.